I Am Not a Serial Killer

I'll start out by saying I don't watch much horror anymore. A lot of it seems so disturbingly graphic and psychotic that I just can't enjoy the movie. I like character, story and atmospheric stuff presented in a way that isn't all squelch, splatter, saw, cut and pop-up scares.

IANASK delivers good chills, with a hint of 'old-fashioned' horror/psychological drama -to my senses. I enjoyed the characters who felt like real people in a real town. There was good anticipatory tension being built up and I liked the slight 'turn' as we discover the killer is not quite what we thought he was -actually multiple turns as the killer also reveals some complexity that is not the norm in foot-stomping, teeth-gnashing and claw-waving monsterdom. The small town setting was moody and atmospheric with great shots throughout.

Probably some would feel this 'horror-lite'. Maybe it is -and that's okay. It manages to find a balance I found pleasing and I enjoyable.

It honestly doesn't happen too often that I fancy thrillers/horror movies that are deliberately slow-paced and proudly refer to themselves as being black comedies and/or social satires, but "I Am Not A Serial Killer" is clearly an exception and I really did love this film! There's nothing too extraordinary innovative about the settings, character drawings or even the story line(s), but the overall tone and atmosphere of the film is so damn bleak and moody that it almost becomes mesmerizing. From his 2005 debut feature "Isolation", we already knew that Irish bloke Billy O'Brien is a talented director, but for some strange reason it apparently took him another eleven years to come up with his next great movie. But here it is, a solid adaptation of Dan Wells' undoubtedly terrific novel (haven't read it yet) with formidable performances from a stellar cast and an absorbing dark ambiance. The story is set in a typically remote little town called Clayton somewhere in a Northwestern State – Minnesota, I think – where it gets damn cold, depressing and snowy during the winter months. 16-year-old John Wayne Cleaver is heavily struggling with his inner demons. He's the type of kid who gets bullied at school because he's introvert, peculiar and obsessed with death. His obsession might have something to do with the fact that his mother runs a funeral home, but John is also strongly convinced that – whether or not reluctantly – he will someday become history's most notorious serial killer. When people suddenly start disappearing and strange accidents occur all over town, John naturally becomes fascinated with the idea of discovering who is responsible for these acts and follow him/her around. He quickly develops a connection with his friendly and elderly, but nevertheless mysterious neighbor Mr. Crowley. The least you can say about "I Am Not A Serial Killer" is that it's a non-conventional horror movie, or – to put it in marketing terms – a horror movie that thinks out-of-the- box and also invites the viewer to step out of his/her comfort zone. The biggest trump of this film is undoubtedly that it doesn't rely on gory effects or jump scares. Don't be alarmed yet, gorehouds, as there ARE gory effects and there ARE jump scares, there just isn't any exaggerated focus or building up towards to. Instead, "I Am Not A Serial Killer" serves an intelligent screenplay full of ambiguities and flirts with the supernatural. Countless of horror stories, whether big-budgeted or shoestring, are set in small American towns, but very few of them capture the atmosphere and people portrayals so accurately as this one. That's particularly praiseworthy because director O'Brien is Irish! The acting performances are downright fantastic, with a seriously strong role for young Max Records as the offbeat and narcissist teenager John Wayne Cleaver. And then there's Christopher Lloyd… I really love this actor! Lloyd makes every film that he appears in extra macabre! Whether he appears in a drama (like "The Onion Field" or "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest"), in dark comedies (like "The Addams Family" or "Who Framed Roger Rabbit") or even in a kid's movie (like "Dennis the Menace"), Christopher Lloyd always depicts a wondrously morbid character. His role here is one of the finest of his career.

John Wayne Cleaver(Max Records) is a high school student with an unhealthy obsession with serial killers. His small Midwestern town begins to experience a series of brutal murders. John's mother is the town's only mortician and she allows her son to help her with the postmortems. He plays detective and becomes friends with an elderly neighbor, Crowley, played by Christopher Lloyd, in his best role since Back to the Future. Lloyd is funny, sarcastic and he pretty much steals this film. The less written about where his quirky character goes, the better. Lloyd and his young costar, Max Records, have a strange and endearing chemistry which will keep viewers guessing as to how it will all end. The final scene is not what I expected, but I can recommend I am Not a Serial Killer without reservation.

Obsessed with a spate of bloody murders in his hometown, a disturbed teen begins to stalk his elderly neighbour.

Mostly a tale of alienation in a decaying society, but with a light hearted touch. The hero is presented in the unusual scenario of a family that runs the local mortuary, and there's some nice gore on the dissecting table as the vascular pump ticks away in the background. Also sets up a nice sight gag for the credits music at the end.

It's well shot and paced, but only picked up for me at about the half hour mark, when the horror element was introduced. At about 54 mins there is a well thought out and skillful jump scare. But the tone never gets heavy, so this is horror lite. Maybe they should have gone full horror once the ambiguity over the killer's identity was cleared up. Instead we had to wait for some over cooked CGI at the very end.

Lead actor is very good, and the villain too - though some of his lines were obscured by the aged voice. There are too many characters, some of whom seem significant but don't matter to the story or only appear in scenes that could have been cut - mostly the high school stuff. So the screenplay is not the tightest.

Music is interesting, applied with a light touch. A bit of poetry too.

Overall, whimsical horror that needed a heart transplant somewhere along the way.

ps. Interesting to see US-Irish collaboration.

We saw this in the theater yesterday (luckily we have one that shows non-major studio movies). We recognized many places as it was filmed locally.

It has all the elements (drama, comedy,irony, surprise, style) without adding CGI and other effects. In some ways it is a throwback to the sci-fi genre of the 50s and 60s. The plot kept me guessing and changing my mind until the end.

If you have an opportunity, watch this! You will find what quality movies can be. Granted it is not the movie of the year but should be given recognition.